Friday, July 31, 2015

Family Fun Friday... Huckleberry Picking

My Dad grew up in a small town in Washington named Cusick. Ever heard of it? Probably not. Seriously, it's like population 25. Anyway, when we lived in Deer Park (ever heard of that one), we made the 45 minute drive to Cusick often to go Huckleberry picking in the summer. It's probably one of my most favorite memories! I love Huckleberry pancakes and muffins and ice cream. Anything Huckleberry, I will eat it.

Well Ani somehow got it into her head that she needed to go berry picking, Blueberries for Sal perhaps, and I really love making her wishes come true especially when they can happen for free. So I called up my Dad, the resident berry genius, and he said he knew where some might be, but it was so late in the season that we might not be able to find any at all. All I needed was 3 berries. Aniston only wanted 3 berries. I figured that was at least doable. At least I prayed that it was.


So in Rexburg, people are weird. They will not give you any information whatsoever about where you can find Huckleberries. Seriously, it's the weirdest thing. People are super duper weird about it. Who bloody cares? It's not like the own the land they pick from anyway. But, we found a fantastic patch and picked way more than 3 berries!


Aniston was totally into it at first, she was picking all the berries and leading the way, then she started eating more berries than she was picking, then she got cold and wet (it had rained the night before and was barely 40 degrees) and then she was ready to go.






I don't mind that we picked for less than an hour, I got enough berries to make muffins and she got what she wanted. It was fun to spend time with my Dad and brother and to be able to sing Fiddler on the Roof and Mary Poppins in the wilderness at the top of our lungs.





I know I love my junk food and fast food and everything that's bad for you, but I get a certain satisfaction from picking food from a garden or a bush and eating it. It's kind of one of the most amazing feelings ever. So satisfying.


And I tell you what... Hot, buttery Huckleberry muffins definitely make huckleberry picking with a 3 year old totally worth it! This was totally my first time making muffins from scratch and they were AMAZING!


Sunday, July 26, 2015

DAY 1429... Jensen's Grove

We get bored quite frequently on Sunday's after Church and after naps, so we have found ourselves going on drives and exploring South Eastern Idaho.

Last Sunday we ended up in Blackfoot, ID. From I-15 we have seen a disc golf course with a spectacular looking park and water front. So we thought it would be worth checking out. We learned that it was called Jensen's Grove.

Our conclusion.... 2 thumbs up for the disc golf, 2 thumbs down for the park.

This park looked awesome from the interstate, but up close and personal it was extremely disappointing. There was trash everywhere and weeds, like legit tall overgrown weeds in the play area, hugging the equipment. There were two slides. One was super steep, and the other was just not accessible for younger children. There were 4 different complicated ladders to get to the big slide. Ani was able to climb up a ladder, but once she got to the top the entrance out of the hole was on the side her back was to, and pretty much impossible for a 3 year old to safely reposition their bodies that way. It was a nightmare.







No child should look this upset with playing at the park...


I think Aniston spent more time digging in the dirt than actually playing on the equipment.


She did have her first tire swing ride, but it was so stinking hot and there was no shade around the tire swing, so it didn't last too long.


The saving grace was the swings. Although I was slightly worried about putting Benson in the swing, it was incredibly sketchy looking, the kids both LOVED their time on the swings.




We ended up ditching the play equipment and found other ways to entertain ourselves. Like playing with flowers and staying hydrated...





The disc golf course was only 9 holes, but it was a fun course and a quick play.


We headed over to the water to coll our feet off after hanging out in the sun for a while and it was perfect for that. The water was super cold, and refreshing. Although we were surrounded by a very interesting crowd, we enjoyed our 5 minutes in the water.

  
I am having  a blast exploring with my little family! It's so fun to get out and try new things, even if they don't turn out exactly the way that you had hoped.




Saturday, July 25, 2015

DAY 1421... 8 Months Old



My baby will be 1 in 4 very short months! I seriously cannot believe it! Time has seriously flown by and I am pretty upset about it.

Benson is amazing! He really is such a fantastic baby unless we are travelling or at night. He has such a happy and sweet spirit! I don't know where he gets it from... just kidding, but really.


Benson loves to clap his hands. He is learning to communicate with me more which is amazing! When I sign to him he will usually respond, especially if it's regarding food, by shaking his head no, for the obvious reason, or clapping if the answer is yes. I know all Mom's think that their babies are super smart, but mine seriously is. He is definitely taking after his sister.


He hasn't moved on to crawling yet, but he is a master roller. He will roll to get where ever he wants to go and it's kind of hilarious and a little bit freaky at the same time. He just shows up in places, far from where I left him, and it was pretty shocking at first. I would seriously just look up from working in my office and there he is, just chilling in the doorway. Super creepy, but he is just so darn cute that it outweighs the creepiness.

I really wish my kids wouldn't grow up so fast.

Benson loves to "fly" as we call it. When he is happy, which is almost always, or super excited he flaps his arms and legs like crazy. Basically this happens all the time, and it's pretty hilarious.


Benson is grunting like crazy, very manly, and usually is sporting his trademark fohawk.


He is still LOVING Baby Mozart, Mickey Mouse, blankets and his sister.

Benson loves music. I wonder if his future will guide him in the direction of music sometimes. If he is crying or sad, I can just sing to him and everything is better. I really love that.


I am so grateful for the opportunity to be his mommy. The way he smiles at me and the way he makes me feel needed and wanted is amazing! To watch Benson and Aniston together really makes me feel like everything is okay. Like, all of the bad in the world doesn't matter because my two little humans are happy, loved and smile all the time.

Friday, July 24, 2015

Family Fun Friday... Bowling

Aniston was very specific that for her 3rd birthday she wanted a Mickey Mouse Bowling Picnic party. We didn't go bowling on her birthday because her birthday was on a holiday weekend and I really didn't want to fight the crowds. So, we made it happen, just 2 1/2 weeks late.


We love that Fat Cats offer their 99 cent summer bowling! Since I'm a nerd and have my own bowling shoes (I use to go bowling 3 nights  week, 3 games a night, party like a rock star during my single days, I also may or may not have taken a bowling class during college... NERD), it cost us less than $6 for 1 game of bowling for 3 people and 2 shoe rentals. SCORE!



I just die for tiny bowling shoes!!!!

It was definitely a rough game for Spencer and I because we never go bowling anymore. It's a tough thing to do when you have kids and work and go to school, so we definitely sucked it up BIG TIME, but what was important was that Aniston had the time of her life! If I can buy my child happiness for 99 cents, then yes, it will happen.



Waiting to be reunited with her ball!



It was pretty intense for our little lady.




Even Benson enjoyed himself. Honestly, I think he was really digging the lights and the music more than anything.


I loved that Aniston was more excited about seeing her ball come back to her than she was to knock down the bowling pins.




99 cents well worth it. End. Of. Story. Thank you Fat Cats!


Sorry for the crappy iPhone photos this week... It is what it is...